Telegraph
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, 37, was a low-level Islamist foot soldier and not an al-Qaeda courier and trainer, whose name had been confused with someone else's
Yemeni Mustafa al Shamiri, right, has been held in Guantanamo for 13 years and six months
A man held for 13 years at Guantanamo Bay appears to have been a victim of mistaken identity, as US officials admitted they had confused him with al-Qaeda operatives with similar names.
When Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, a Yemeni national, was transported from Afghanistan to the US detention facility in Cuba, his captors believed he was a courier and trainer for al-Qaeda.
They have now determined that he was a low-level Islamist fighter, and not part of the al-Qaeda chain of command.
Al-Shamiri, one of 107 detainees remaining at the controversial detention camp, appeared on Tuesday before a panel tasked with determining whether he should be released.
A detainee profile of al-Shamiri describes the role the Pentagon once believed he had held within al-Qaeda, but says "we now judge that these activities were carried out by other known extremists with names or aliases similar to (al-Shamiri's)".
The profile does say, however, that al-Shamiri "fought in several jihadist theaters and associated with al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan".
Al-Shamiri's representative at the hearing released a statement saying he was not a "significant threat" to the US and was "earnestly preparing for his life after Gitmo", as the prison is sometimes known.
“From the onset, he has demonstrated a consistent positive attitude towards life after Gitmo. He has a strong desire to obtain an education in order to provide for a future spouse that his family has already located for him," the statement reads.
President Barack Obama hopes to release or relocate the remaining Guantanamo prisoners and close the detention camp before the end of his presidency, a task his administration admits will be extremely difficult.
He pledged to close Guantanamo on his first day in office, but was thwarted by Congress and has referred to its continuing operation as one of the primary frustrations of his time as president.
The detention facility was established shortly after the September 11 attacks to hold terror suspects. It has been widely criticised because detainees are not subject to US law, and can be held indefinitely without charge.
Shaker Aamer, the last British resident to be held at Guantanamo, was released in October after being detained for 13 years.